Saskatchewan Roughriders legend Darian Durant knows what new CFL commissioner Stewart Johnston should focus on.
"First and foremost, I think he should do a game of the week. I think you should take one game, the best game of the week, and even have the fans vote on it to get more engagement. Treat that game like a Grey Cup game," Durant explained to the SportsCage.
"Have extra cameras, try to get as many fans involved, have festivities, bring an artist out to perform at halftime or before the game. The B.C. Lions have shown how successful bringing artists in could be. I think if you could get the fans to vote for game of the week, turn that into a big spectacle and try to get as many viewers in on that game as possible, that's a start."
Last year, Curtis Jackson otherwise known as '50 Cent' performed at the Lions home opener on June 15. The year before that rapper LL Cool J was the headliner at BC Place.
The CFL named Johnston the league's 15th commissioner on April 2 succeeding Randy Ambrosie. Last October, Ambrosie announced he would retire in 2025 but would stay until the board of governors found a successor.
Johnston's prior work included leading TSN as the network's president. Durant believes that experience will benefit the CFL, especially with the brodcast rights expiring after the 2026 season.
"Hiring a guy who's been at TSN for almost 30 years, who knows the ins and outs of the TV side of the business, I think it's amazing," Durant said.
“With the TV rights coming up in 2026, I think it's a perfect opportunity for the league to really get inside the head of TSN, see what type of budget they have, see if it's something that can be very beneficial to the league and its players because it's the perfect opportunity."
CBS Sports Network is the current American rights holder for broadcasting CFL games the past two seasons after previously being held by ESPN. According to 3DowNation, CBS showcased 34 games last year on their network.
"I've never done any research on the numbers that come with the viewership of the games in the USA, but I think it's a big deal for players and their families," Durant explained.
"I'm not sure if it's worth the money that they put into it, but for us players, we love to have the game on for our families."
Recently, the Riders held open tryouts in Tampa Bay and Fort Lauderdale. Durant gave his advice to aspiring players who might want to attend one of those events.
"You have to find a way to stand out. If that's your energy or your 40-yard dash, if that's what you do in these one-on-one drills, you have to do something to catch the coaches' or GM's eyes and to give you that opportunity to come to training camp," Durant said.
"I think what coaches and GMs look for with these camps is a handful of guys, maybe three or four guys that can come in, compete during camp, and potentially have the opportunity to change your roster. The percentage of guys making the team from these types of camps are very low. What you're really looking for is one or two, three guys who can possibly come in who've been flying under the radar, teams and leagues are overlooking, who can come in and help your roster."
The next open tryouts for the Green and White take place on April 12 in Dallas and April 13 in Houston.
